CNY teens tackle abortion in shades of gray

Pro-choice, pro-life have broad meaning, teens say

Bristol Palin. Jamie Lynn Spears. "Juno."

Teen pregnancy and the decisions it forces have been in the news a lot lately. Teens have strong opinions on the subject. While adults often debate the issue in black-and-white terms, some Central New York teens see shades of gray. Click on the photos below to read their essays:

Gina Cardarelli, a senior at Marcellus High School, writes that pro-choice does not mean pro-abortion.

Dan Galloway, a senior at West Genesee High School, writes that pro-life means much more than anti-abortion.

Gabrielle George, a freshman at Christian Brothers Academy, writes about attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Kayla Grant, a senior at Henninger High School, writes that abortion should not be used as a form of birth control

Alex Pisciarino, a senior at Liverpool High School, writes that states, not the U.S. Supreme Court, should decide on abortion rights

Brianna Suslovic, a freshman at Jamesville-DeWitt High School, writes that women have the right to choose an abortion.

Pregnancy, abortion and teens

• At least half of American women age 15 to 44 will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45. About one-third will have had an abortion.
• The nation's abortion rate has dropped from 29.3 per 1,000 women age 15 to 44 in 1981 to 19.1 in 2005.
• Teenagers get about 17 percent of all of the abortions performed in the U.S.
• New York state's teen birth rate -- 25.7 births per 1,000 girls age 15 to 19 in 2006 -- is the sixth lowest. Nationwide, the teen birth rate is 41.9.
• The teen birth rate in the U.S. rose in 2006 and 2007, inturrupting the 34-percent decline that began in 1981.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Guttmacher Institute

Kate Wawro, a sophomore at Westhill High School, writes that abortion should be a last resort for teens.

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